Manuel Ricart Serra (1913-2014) - The Artist In His Workshop

Oil on canvas. Original canvas. Manuel Ricart i Serra (Barcelona, 1913-2014) was a Catalan figurative painter from a family of artists whose long creative career left its mark on the history of painting from the post-war period to the dawn of the 21st century. Heir to the art of his father, Manuel Ricart Hostench, he forged his own voice within the prestigious Llotja School from the age of 12, absorbing the teachings of masters such as Antoni Vila Arrufat and Ramón Calsina. His promising career, which began with the success of his first works at the Barcelona Salon and collaborations with magazines like L'Esquella de la Torratxa, was tragically interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, an ordeal that did not break his spirit. Returning to Barcelona in 1939, and having overcome personal hardships, Ricart i Serra came back with unwavering creative energy. He held his first solo exhibition at the Syra Gallery in 1941, a prelude to his international acclaim in Madrid, Lisbon, and Porto. His work, which brilliantly encompasses landscape, portraiture, and still life, was initially inspired by the aesthetic influence of Joaquim Sunyer, his student and friend, ultimately culminating in a distinctive and assertive style. This style, as the critic Josep Maria Cadena aptly points out, is characterized by its chromatic freshness, the deliberate absence of harshness, and a rigorous adherence to classical drawing techniques, lending his compositions a timeless elegance. From 1971 onward, Ricart i Serra devoted himself entirely to his art, reaching the full maturity that established him as a major figure in Catalan figurative painting. His work not only enriches the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Sant Jordi, but also adorns numerous private collections in Europe and America, lending them prestige and elegance. - Dimensions of the image without frame: 64 x 54 cm / 72 x 62 cm with an elegant light wood frame.